HONOLULU, HAWAII - Awaiaulu, Inc., a local non-profit organization, is seeking 3,000 volunteers from around the world to participate in a unique nation-building initiative that aims to make 60,000 pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers accessible via the Internet. Participants can sign up to hand-type pages of newspaper copy currently housed in Hawai'i archival collections as originals and microfilmed images.

The ambitious project, titled 'Ike Ku'oko'a, or Liberating Knowledge, will launch on November 28, 2011 to coincide with La Ku'oko'a (Independence Day as celebrated throughout the Hawaiian Kingdom era), and is scheduled to be completed in approximately eight months. The entire volunteer effort will be managed online using a web-based program, allowing interested individuals to download the files and participate from remote locations. Volunteers are not required to know the Hawaiian language to participate.

"The magnitude of what we are trying to accomplish is unprecedented," said Puakea Nogelmeier, Professor of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, who is spearheading the project. "With the completion of this project, more than half of the entire archive of Hawaiian-language newspapers published between 1834 to 1948 will be searchable on the World Wide Web. In the past 10 years, a small team of paid operators was only able to process 15,000 pages, mostly using OCR technology. We realized that we needed to change our approach and, after careful consideration, decided the best way forward would be to open up participation to anyone who wanted to help."

While funding sources recommended exporting the work to a foreign company experienced in similar digital-text projects, they ultimately determined that exportation would violate the spirit and integrity of the project - and it would produce less usable text.

"Certainly, to coordinate an enormous volunteer campaign requires more resources than simply hiring a company to produce the pages, but we strongly believe the benefit of Hawai'i claiming back Hawaiian knowledge far outweighs any additional effort and costs," said Kaui Sai-Dudoit, Project Manager for Ho'olaupa'i: Hawaiian Newspaper Resource, an innovative program of Awaiaulu, Inc. that makes searchable pages from early Hawaiian language newspaper available on the Internet.

Key benefits noted by organizers include the unparalleled potential for social engagement and the sense of pride, ownership and familiarity for the Hawaiian community and its far-flung supporters.

Interested volunteers can visit http://www.awaiaulu.org/ for more information. Pre-registration will occur from now to November 27, 2011. General registration will begin on November 28, 2011 and will continue until the project's scheduled completion on July 31, 2012, or La Ho'iho'i Ea (Restoration Day in the Hawaiian Kingdom) or until all the work is completed.

Once the project commences, volunteers will be able to log in to the website, reserve a page for typing and hold that page for one week, with the option of an additional one-week extension. If the reserved page is still not completed by the end of the extension, it will return to the unfinished cache, where other volunteers may select it for typescripting. All typed pages will be reviewed for accuracy. The completed project is scheduled to be available for online viewing on November 28, 2012.

Many organizations and institutions are jumping on board to assist with finances and resources in this important Hawaiian legacy project. Organizations include The Puʻa Foundation, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools, Hawai'inuiakea: Center for Hawaiian Knowledge, U.H. Sea Grants Hawai'i, and numerous civic clubs and halau in Hawai'i and abroad.

"It's impossible to overstate the value that the success of this project will have, not only for the Hawaiian people, but for those interested in Hawaiian history and scholarship," said Toni Bissen, Executive Director of the Pu'a Foundation. "We invested in this project to support our own (Pu'a Foundation's) mission of developing educational resources to serve Hawai'i's communities and reconcile consequences of the overthrow of our monarchy," said Bissen.

What: Section 10 of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to museums, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations for the purposes of assisting in consultation, documentation, and repatriation of Native American "cultural items", including human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.

The National NAGPRA Program offers two types of grants, Consultation & Documentation Grants and Repatriation Grants. Consultation & Documentation Grants are project-based grants that support the efforts of eligible applicants to consult and document NAGPRA-related human remains and cultural items. Consultation & Documentation grants are competitive awards for up to $90,000.

The webinar will provide information on the NAGPRA Grants program, review the FY 2012 Consultation & Documentation grant application and provide information about new resources available on the NAGRPA website to assist with proposal development.

When: December 6, 2011 2:00PM-4:00PM Eastern Daylight Time

Fee: This is a free webinar!

For More Information: To register for the webinar, please send an email to nagpra@rap.midco.net. Information on how to access the webinar will be sent after registering. Include the following information in the body of your email message:* Name* Title* Institution* Address* Email* Phone number* Name and Title of additional participants* How you found out about the webinar

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) is hosting a meeting for cultural stakeholders in the Kalihi and Kapalama ahupua`a. The purpose of the meeting is to consult with potential lineal and cultural descendants, Native Hawaiian organizations and other interested parties about the Archaeological Inventory Survey (AIS) and the Final Consultation Protocol for `Iwi Kupuna Discovery During the AIS for City Center (Construction Phase 4) of the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, which includes Kalihi, Kapalama and Honolulu Ahupua`a in the Honolulu District on the Island of O`ahu.

The burial consultation protocol is available (click HERE). A copy is also available on the project website at www.HonoluluTransit.org under the Document Library - Programmatic Agreement - Identification & Protection of Archaeological Sites and Burials.

Project staff will provide an update on the archaeological survey work in this region and a briefing on the consultation protocol for `iwi kupuna discovery.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this meeting, please contact Kaleo Patterson at KPatterson@honolulu.gov or (808) 768-6176.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Fire Truck Hawaii will be offering tours of the Honolulu City Christmas Lights in the historic fire truck during December. The tours will be daily from December 4 – 30, 2011. Tours run every 30 minutes from 6:00 p.m until 9:00 p.m. They are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Prices are $8 per person, $4 for children 2 and under (cash only). Meet at the Mission Houses Museum, 533 South King Street (across the street from Honolulu Hale, facing Frosty the Snowman).

Thursday, November 17, 2011

We’re looking for Haunted Historic sites in Hawaii that may be suitable for filming a SYFY channel feature……. Historic homes and buildings are fascinating in many ways as we all know. We’d like to learn more about the local ghost stories related to historic homes and buildings here. We’d love it if you would post to our Facebook wall “Historic Hawai‘i “ or send an email to us at member@historichawaii.org

Kakaako Fire Station. An old man with a dog, probably an ancient firefighter, is said to haunt this fire station on South Street.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

HONOLULU — New York art conservator Glenn Wharton will visit Honolulu on November 21–23 to launch The Painted King: Art, Activism, and Authen­ticity in Hawai‘i, released this month by University of Hawai‘i Press.[http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-8559-9780824836122.aspx/] The book is Wharton’s first-hand account of his life-changing experiences while working with the North Kohala community in conserving the original King Kame­hameha I statue in Kapa‘au. (The Kamehameha statue in downtown Honolulu is a replica; the original, cast in Paris in the 1880s and the first statue in the Islands, stands before the old courthouse in rural Kapa‘au, North Kohala, the legendary birthplace of Kamehameha I.)

During his upcoming visit, Dr. Wharton will first make a stop on the Big Island to celebrate the book’s publication with North Kohala residents. He will then fly to Honolulu and has two events scheduled for Tuesday, November 22. The public is invited to attend these free events (books will be available for purchase):From 3:00-4:30 p.m., at the Queen Lili‘uokalani Center, Room 412, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Dr. Wharton will give a brief presentation on his book, followed by comments from UH-Mānoa faculty Karen Kosasa and Ty Tengan. Professor Geoffrey White from the Department of Anthropology will moderate the discussion. Karen Kosasa is associate professor of American studies and director of the Museum Studies program. Ty Kāwika Tengan is associate professor of anthropology and ethnic studies and author of the book, Native Men Remade.From 6:30-8:30 p.m., the Hawai‘i Arts Alliance will join UH Press in celebrating The Painted King at Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai'i, with a short talk by the author, followed by a book-signing and reception. With several national grants, the Hawai'i Arts Alliance was able to support the work of Glenn Wharton for the conservation of the original monument. In addition to The Painted King, the DVD of King Kamehameha: A Legacy Renewed, directed by Tuti Baker, which PBS nationally broadcast in 2002, will also be available for purchase.Glenn Wharton holds dual positions at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and New York University (NYU). At MoMA he serves as time-based media conservator, where he cares for video, performance, and electronic collections. At NYU he is a research scholar in the Museum Studies program, teaching graduate courses on the conservation of cultural heritage.

Published by University of Hawai‘i Press, The Painted King: Art, Activism, and Authenticity in Hawai‘i is priced at $19.00, paperback and $42.00, hardcover. Books will be available at local retailers and can be ordered directly from UH Press—address: 2840 Kolowalu Street, Honolulu, HI 96822; phone: (808) 956-8255 or toll-free 1-888-847-7377; FAX: (808) 988-6052 or toll-free 1-800-650-7811; email: uhpbooks@hawaii.edu; or online via its website: http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/.For more information, contact Carol Abe at UH Press, phone (808) 956-8697; email: abec@hawaii.edu

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The video below captures some of the ideas and energy that resulted from the first National Asian Pacific Islander American Historic Preservation Forum held in San Francisco in June 2010. Interviews were conducted with more than twenty attendees and portions of those interviews, along with additional footage from the gathering, form the basis of the video.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUrNoMf8GJMThe second National Asian Pacific Islander American Historic Preservation Forum will be held in Los Angeles, June 21-23, 2012.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released a 50-state report outlining some of the country’s most promising ways to reconnect Americans to the natural world. Salazar highlighted two projects in the state of Hawaii that are included in the final report — representing what states believe are among the best investments in the nation to support a healthy, active population, conserve wildlife and working lands, and create travel, tourism and outdoor-recreation jobs across the country.Expanding recreational opportunities at the North Kona-South Kohala Coastline String of Parks on the island of Hawaii and creating a National Blueway on the Wailua River on Kauai are among 100 projects nationwide that are in the report — two in every state — as part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda and reconnect Americans to the outdoors.The report is a result of 50 meetings with governors and stakeholders held by Salazar and other senior Interior officials to solicit ideas on how to best implement AGO in their states. These projects were identified for their potential to conserve important lands and build recreation opportunities and economic growth for the surrounding communities as part of close engagement with Gov. Neil Abercrombie and the state of Hawaii, as well as private landowners, local- and tribal-elected officials, community organizations and outdoor-recreation and conservation stakeholders. The full 50-state report will be released in the coming weeks.“Under the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, we are listening to the people of Hawaii and communities across America and working with them on locally-based projects that will conserve the beauty and health of our land and water and open up more opportunities for people to enjoy them,” Salazar said. “My staff and I have been asking each governor for the most promising projects to support in their states, and we will do all we can to help move them forward.”The two projects in Hawaii highlighted by Salazar in the report are:North Kona-South Kohala Coastline / Ala Kahakai National Historic TrailThirty-one miles of coastline on the Island of Hawaii make up the North Kona-South Kohala Coastline String of Parks, beginning at Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor and ending at Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site. Hawaii wants to connect these seven national, state, and county parks via aquatic and terrestrial trails interspersed with multi-use recreation facilities. The National Park Service’s Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail already provides land links through parks in coastal areas, and it could be linked by sea as well, via recreational-boating opportunities.In addition to providing recreation access, the North Kona-South Kohala Coastline has a rich cultural history, including ancient artifacts at sacred sites, and great potential for environmental education and interpretation. The National Park Service is currently working with a dozen local communities in the trail corridor to develop community-based trail-management plans. The plans include an economic-development component, which is focused on job creation within the recreation- and visitor-services fields. This project meets AGO outdoor-recreation goals and is supported by state and community entities.Wailua River National BluewayThe slowly meandering Wailua River on the Island of Kauai is a heavily used recreational destination. Its culturally and historically significant features include the sacred Fern Grotto site, several Hawaiian Heiau, and ancient petroglyphs at the mouth of the river. Commercial tours and paddleboat entrepreneurs crowd the banks.Managing the Wailua River’s limited area presents the challenge of balancing its heavy recreational use with public safety and impacts on natural and cultural resources. Demand for public recreation access has increased, but an aging marina infrastructure must be addressed.The state needs help with increasing the access to the river, enhancing existing facilities, and assisting in the conservation of the natural and cultural resources. The long-term goal is to manage river use sustainably to protect river values while increasing recreation use along the blueway.The report will also include potential actions by Interior and its bureaus to support the projects identified. In Hawaii, for example, the Department could designate the Wailua River as a National Blueway and provide technical, financial, and planning assistance to Hawaii both for increasing public access and restoring the river.The Department could also provide technical and financial assistance to the Island of Hawaii to enhance the Ala Kahakai Trail and provide new access along the Kona Coast. It could work with the state and local communities in greenway, water trail, and interpretive planning for 31 miles of the Kona Coast. At the Wailua River, it could provide technical, financial, and planning assistance to Hawaii to both for increasing public access and restoring the Wailua River.The Department of the Interior will work with each of its key bureaus — including the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — to direct available resources and personnel to make these projects a reality.“The America’s Great Outdoors Initiative turns the conventional wisdom about the federal government’s role in conservation on its head,” Salazar said. “Rather than dictate policies or conservation strategies from Washington, it supports grassroots, locally driven initiatives.”For more information on the President’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, click here.To view a map of the projects already announced, click here.

Monday, November 14, 2011

This stately Colonial Revival home at 2346 Manoa Road was not protected by preservation restrictions and was torn down.In early October, the City Council finalized its amendments to Ordinance 11-7, the rule that grants a significant property tax exemption to owners of historic homes. The amendments provide new clarity, transparency and improved enforcement to the city’s historic homes preservation program.My purpose in writing is, first, to applaud the City Council members for supporting this measure. The continuation of the property tax exemption for historic homes was by no means assured. Abuses of the exemption privilege by homeowners were exposed in investigative reports published in the Star-Advertiser and certain vocal activists attempted to turn the issue into a debate about social equity. To its great credit, the Council was able to see the larger, more important picture — that preserving our architectural heritage is absolutely critical to maintaining the sense of “old Hawaii” in Oahu neighborhoods. In truth, the property tax exemption for historic homes is a proven, effective tool for encouraging preservation, and it is indisputable that historic homes enhance the values of surrounding properties and their neighborhoods.My second inspiration for writing is to provide an unfortunate example of what happens in the absence of either economic incentives for preservation or zoning restrictions on alterations to historic residences. On Manoa Road, there stood a stately home that was one of a handful of Colonial Revival houses built in Manoa in the 1920s by the same architect. The home had a beautiful lava rock fireplace, double-wall redwood construction, white oak floors, a sleeping porch and many interesting visual architectural features. I toured the house during a Realtor’s open house last year and, while it was in need of major interior restoration, it was by no means beyond salvation. On my drive home from work recently, I was saddened to discover that the house had been demolished and the site leveled for new construction.To be clear, I do not begrudge the new owner of the property for his actions — the house was not on the historic register and, in the absence of other preservation restrictions, he has the right to do with his property as he sees fit. I also understand that not everyone shares my appreciation of old houses. However, to those who do not see the value of preserving Oahu’s architectural heritage, I maintain that Manoa suffered a very real economic and cultural loss when the house was destroyed. Aside from the loss to an Oahu landfill of the old growth redwood, pine and koa from which the house was constructed, the disappearance of this irreplaceable home undeniably diminishes the character of the neighborhood and Manoa Valley. The cost of losing this house is tangible, obvious and permanent.To my knowledge, this is at least the third such property to disappear in Manoa in 2011 alone. Had these homes been on the historic register, it might have deterred the people who demolished them from buying the houses in the first place.Make no mistake: The incremental loss of these properties is extinguishing the charm and character of Oahu’s residential neighborhoods, and underscores the importance and need for further measures to preserve the startlingly small number of pre-WWII homes that remain.I hope that in some small way this example will raise awareness of the importance of Ordinance 11-7 and of the need to do more to preserve Oahu’s architectural legacy.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has announced five additions to the list of the Most Endangered Historic Places in Hawai‘i. The annual list is compiled by HHF in cooperation with the State Historic Preservation Division and HONOLULU magazine.

The 2011 additions are published in HONOLULU’s November issue

"The list is a call to action, but it’s also a way to appreciate the hidden treasures of our built environment,” writes reporter Victoria Wiseman.

"Ohana," friends, school and community groupsWear clothing you don't mind getting dirt

Old athletic shoes or tabis

Reusable water bottle

Bonus:Education tours of our fishpond

We will provide a light lunch!

Interested?Contact Andrea Jepson at jepsona001@hawaii.rr.com or phone 263-8202 to pre-register yourself or your group.For additional information see:www.waikalualokofishpond.org or www.ulukau.org for a teacher's curriculum guide.Directions to the Fishpond:Take Kane'ohe Bay Dr. to Castle High School.At the traffic light, turn right onto Puohala Rd. if you're coming from Kailua.Or, left if you're coming from Honolulu.Make your first right onto Kulauli Rd. Follow road past Puohala elementary School through the golf course until you reach fork in the road, veer off to the left and follow dirt road to the end.

Free workshops to be held statewide for interested applicants of HTA's Kukulu Ola - Living Hawaiian Culture Program and Natural Resources Program

-The Hawai'i Tourism Authority (HTA), the state agency for tourism, in partnership with the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), is accepting applications for the HTA's Kukulu Ola - Living Hawaiian Culture Program (HTA LHCP) and Natural Resources Program. These programs provide funding to support organizations for projects that strengthen, perpetuate and preserve the Hawaiian culture and the state's invaluable natural resources. This year, the HTA is providing $1.4 million to support these initiatives for non-profit, for-profit and government agencies as a part of key initiatives in the Hawai'i Tourism Strategic Plan: 2005-2015 and The Hawai'i Tourism Authority Strategic Plan: 2012-2013."This is an incredible opportunity for eligible entities to receive funding for programs and initiatives aimed to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture and preserve our precious natural resources," said Keli'i Wilson, Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs for the HTA. "The natural beauty of our islands and the Hawaiian culture are part of what makes our islands so special, and the HTA is pleased to support these programs for both residents and visitors to enjoy."To assist individuals and organizations with the application process, the HTA and CNHA will be holding statewide workshops to provide technical assistance and training to explain the objectives of the HTA programs, including the application and award process. Registration forms for the workshops are available at the following link http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/about-hta/hta-events/workshops/

Applications are available for pick-up at the HTA's office (1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Level 1) or downloadable athttp://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/about-hta/rfps/. Packets are also available at the CNHA's office (1050 Queen Street, Suite 200). Proposals must be received no later than 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2011 at the CNHA's office.For more information about the program or to register for a workshop, contact Katie Gallagher, CNHA Community Development Specialist, at (808) 596-8155 or via email at training@hawaiiancouncil.org.CNHA is dedicated to enhancing the cultural, economic, public policy and community development of Native Hawaiians. CNHA achieves its mission through policy advocacy, community convening, leadership development, training and technical assistance, providing access to capital, and linking resources and solutions to community challenges. For more information on CNHA, visit www.hawaiiancouncil.org. Established in 1998, the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, the state's tourism agency, is responsible for strategically managing tourism to optimize benefits for Hawai'i that integrates the interest of visitors, the community and visitor industry. Tourism is our state's leading economic driver and largest employer and the HTA continually works to ensure its sustainability well into the future. For more information on the HTA, please visitwww.hawaiitourismauthority.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@HawaiiHTA).